The Wisconsin offense was not quite the same against Michigan Saturday. Junior running back P.J. Hill rushed for 3.2 yards per carry and the Badgers had six straight possessions that ended in punts or turnovers in the second half.
The offense is moving on, though.
It wasn't fun walking off the field, and it was definitely frustrating,"" senior quarterback Allan Evridge said. ""We're just going to continue with that 1-0 philosophy.""
Evridge took a lot more snaps from the shotgun position than usual, and the offensive utilized the option frequently in hopes of keeping the Wolverines unsure of what was coming.
""I enjoy the shotgun,"" Evridge said. ""I feel like I can see better.""
While offensive coordinator may keep the shotgun in his offensive playbook, it appears the option will get tossed. Michigan pounced on a UW option late in the third quarter that led to a 12-yard loss, with Evridge recovering his own fumble.
""There's not one fan that's beating me to the punch, you know, like 'What the hell are you calling that for?'"" offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. ""At the time it sure seemed like it was a good idea.""
Wisconsin's stunning 27-25 defeat after being up 19-0 against Michigan could have been won in the first half, as the Badger offense failed to take full advantage of five Michigan turnovers. The offense moved past field- goal range once, when freshman running back John Clay ran in a 5-yarder after gaining 46 yards on the sideline the play before. Besides that, freshman kicker Philip Welch got a lot of playing time, and tied the UW school record with four successful field goals, all in the first half.
If the first half was marked by missed opportunities, the second half will be remembered for mistakes.
Evridge threw two interceptions, including a game-changing play early in the fourth quarter when the ball flew out of sophomore wide receiver Kyle Jefferson's hands into Wolverine linebacker John Thompson's hands for a 25-yard touchdown.
""That's never fun as a quarterback,"" Evridge said. ""The biggest thing you need to have about that is amnesia. Forget about the play and go onto the next one.""
Senior tight end Travis Beckum, who missed practice last week due to a hamstring injury, made the mistake of being downfield for the 2-point conversion when he shouldn't have been, forcing Wisconsin to redo what seemed like a successful attempt. UW went on to fail another 2-point try to lose the game.
""The reason for the failures are multiple,"" Chryst said. ""It's not just one guy, and you've just got to use them as teaching moments and go forward.""
The team is looking forward to having both junior tight end Garrett Graham, who missed the game against Michigan because of a foot injury, and Beckum on the field together Saturday. Evridge said that while Graham and Beckum are favorite targets of his, he likes to spread the ball as well.
""Garrett's always good to have around and Travis does some very good things,"" Evridge said. ""There's a lot of guys and the more we play the more I get comfortable with different guys.""
Ohio State is next up for the Badgers, who are eager to put Michigan behind them, and return to the atmosphere of Camp Randall. Evridge, along with the rest of the team, continually mention the 1-0 philosophy and will put all of their energy looking forward to Saturday.
""It's football weather, and it's time,"" Evridge said. ""We're in the thick of it now. It's Big Ten season, we dropped the first one and now we're just really looking forward to this week.
